The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has come under fire for failing to specify a timetable for his plans to introduce civil partnerships for same-sex couples.
The Fine Gael Seanad spokeswoman on Equality, Sheila Terry, said the Minister should have used his invitation to the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival to announce when the legislation would come into effect.
"The Minister attempted to assure all that his Government was committed to legislate on the issue and that it is a question of how rather than if," she said. "He should have announced when we will see action on this vital equality issue."
Speaking at the opening of the film festival in Temple Bar last night, Mr McDowell said that while he was committed to introducing legislation on same-sex partnerships, he did not see marriage as a model for it. However, he has yet to explain when the legislation will be implemented.
Ms Terry pointed out that Fine Gael published its Civil Partnership plan a year ago.
"If the Minister cared at all about the equality part of his agenda he would have outlined a timetable for when he intends to grant equality to this disadvantaged section of society- a section that pays its taxes, obeys the law and makes a contribution in the same way as everyone else," she said.
The presence of the Minister at the event caused much controversy from within the gay and lesbian community and anti-gay quarters, with much debate taking place over the past few days about the Minister's suitability to open the festival One of the biggest social and cultural events in the calendar for gay men and women in Ireland, this year's film festival has the theme "family values". Some 5,000 people are expected to attend this year.
